


Late Musings

by Serendipitys_Stock_Exchange



Category: Hataraku Maou-Sama! | The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27366505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serendipitys_Stock_Exchange/pseuds/Serendipitys_Stock_Exchange
Summary: Maou has screwed up, hard. Now he's stuck working late and bored out of his mind.Until a certain hero shows up to ruin/make his day.
Relationships: Ashiya Shirou | Alciel & Maou Sadao | Satan Jacob & Urushihara Hanzou | Lucifer, Maou Sadao | Satan Jacob & Yusa Emi | Emilia Justina, Maou Sadao | Satan Jacob/Yusa Emi | Emilia Justina
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Late Musings

The demon king looked out across the vast expanse. It was dull, lifeless, a fitting purgatory for the condemned. The mighty demon breathed a sigh, a breath that would once put fear into the hearts of men now put nothing into even less.

Sadou Maou was mind-numbingly bored. Trapped behind a counter by himself with not a single customer in sight, and only desperate souls like himself round back to keep him company. Maou was currently stuck working overtime at Mgronalds on the dreaded midnight shift, his penance for committing the grave sin of wrecking the washing machine for the Devil's castle.

Even now, he still shivered from the terror he felt when he had to inform his right-hand man and general, Ashiya Shirou.

\--

"YOU BROKE WHAT, MY LORD!?!" Ashiya shrieked with rage.

"...T-The washing machine." Maou quivered.

Ashiya raked hands across his face. "The washing machine. As in the same one we got just recently."

"Well... it's technically the only one we ever had so, yea-"

"ARGGGHHH!!!!" Ashiya screamed as he pressed the balls of his palms into his eyes.

"Ashiya, relax. I'm sure it's still covered by warranty."

"How..." Ashiya voiced quietly.

"What do you mean, how?" Maou asked cautiously.

"How did you break it?" Ashiya said in a dangerously neutral tone.

Maou fiddled with his hands. "Well... you see... I might have been in a bit rush... and well-"

Ashiya was growing annoyed with Maou's slow pace. "OUT WITH IT!"

Maou closed his eyes and begged for mercy in his heart. "I THINK I PUT IN TOO MANY CLOTHES, ALRIGHT!"

Ashiya looked dumbfounded. "How much did you put in?"

"About a whole week's worth..." Maou winced.

"A WHOLE WEEK'S. ARE YOU INSANE, MY LORD? IT'S A SMALL WASHER. IT CAN'T HANDLE THAT KIND OF ABUSE. DID EVEN READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!?"

"Well, no. I just, kinda, guess worked it. Figured it could handle it."

"YOU FIGURED! YOU FIGURED!" Ashiya placed a hand over his eyes. "Why, my lord... why are you like this?" He pleaded.

Maou was half tempted to say. 'Well, I could ask you the same question.' But thankfully, he was smarter than that and allowed Ashiya to continue.

"Are you certain it's beyond our capacity to repair it ourselves?"

"I mean... it's making this weird whirring noise whenever I try to turn it on now, even with the clothes out."

"Whirring noise?"

"Yeah, whirring. Like WIRWIRWIRWIR." The demon lord gestured with his hands, feigning a washing machine.

Ashiya just groaned. He didn't know what was worse, the broken washing machine or his lord pretending to be said broken washing machine.

Maou implored. "Look, Ashiya, it's fine. All we need to do is contact the store we got it from, and the warranty will cover the rest."

Ashiya pinched the bridge of his nose. "Good grief, you really haven't read any of the paperwork, have you?"

Maou raised an eyebrow. "Again, no. Why?"

"The warranty we have can only cover half the cost of any repairs."

Maou's heart sank to the floor. "...What?"

"Part the deal we got when you bought it, remember. Oh, wait. No, you don't. You just wanted the own the machine without having to make slow repayments like a rational person in our financial circumstance." Ashiya narrowed his eyes.

Unbeknownst to Ashiya, Maou had stopped listening. Maou felt his entire world begin to spin. He felt nauseous. He wondered if this was how clothes felt during the spin cycle.

"Where... where are we going to get the money?"

"An excellent question, my lord. Where indeed?" Ashiya looked incredulous.

Maou looked to the ground. "I... I need to take more shifts, but the only shifts left are..." Maou paled.

Ashiya's demeanour shifted to concern. "What, my lord?"

Maou turned to face Ashiya, his expression mirroring the look of deer caught in headlights. "The midnight shift."

Ashiya placed a hand over his mouth. "NO, MY LORD! You can't! You're already working yourself to the bone. When will you rest?"

Maou spoke in a tone that seemed resigned to his fate. "I'll just have to take naps where I can, Ashiya."

Ashiya got to his knees. "But, but even so. That's when all the crazy people show up... what if you become... one of them." Ashiya's eyes had a desperate, crazed look to them.

Maou placed his hands on the shoulders of his subordinate and endeavoured to hide the tremble in his voice.

"I know Ashiya... I know, but it has to be done. There is no other way."

As he spoke, Ashiya wiped a single loyal and sorrowful tear from his face in light of his master's bravery.

As if to ruin their touching moment, the closet of the Devil's castle slid open, revealing the grandmaster of NEETs, himself.

"Will you drama queens keep it down. I'm trying to do some hardcore gaming here." Urushihara drawled.

"You shut your mouth, worm. You are in no position to issue complaints." Ashiya roared.

Urushihara just rolled his eyes. "Whatever... Oh, by the way, Maou. Did you manage to clean my clothes? These ones are getting a little stuffy." he gestured to himself.

Maou tilted his head. "Wait, your clothes?"

"Yeah, I threw my stuff in with yours. Hope you don't mind."

A look of realisation dawned on Maou's face. "Wait, THAT'S WHY THE PILE WAS SO BIG. THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

Urushihara frowned and looked like he was about to say something when Ashiya spoke up.

"With all due respect, my lord. Even if that is the case, you still bear the brunt of the blame. You were the one who decided to throw all clothes in, to begin with.

"B-But, but it wouldn't have been an issue if his clothes weren't there." Maou countered.

Ashiya shook his head. "Your reckless approach to the wash was bound to catch up to you sooner or later, my lord. Don't get me wrong, I am more willing than anyone to place blame on that insufferable, useless wretch, but in this instance, it's not really his fault."

Urushihara looked stunned. "Did Alciel just come to my defence?"

Maou just hung his head at Ashiya. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

\--

After that, Maou had to arrange new shifts for himself, and that ultimately landed him where he is now. Stuck with nothing to do but stare out into the darkness behind the clear glass of the entryway. Every table had already been cleaned, all the stock checked, the money earned so far counted and tallied.

For Maou, it felt like there was almost less than nothing to do somehow, like being stuck here was slowly draining him of life. He began to wonder if this was an opportunity to take a nap, but if someone noticed him do so, it would definitely reflect poorly on him. He needed to excel in his career if he had any hope of achieving a full-time job and conquer the industry.

Snapping him out of his thoughts, the automatic doors on the entrance slid open and in stepped a woman he recognised. Stopping a brief moment to compose himself, he attempted to give the standard formal greeting.

"Welcome to Mgronalds, how may I help-"

"You can save the pleasantries, Maou. Tell it someone who actually believes your capable of helping." Emi Yusa sneered.

Maou frowned. He really didn't need this right now. "In case you have forgotten, miss. I have a job here, and that comes with a few responsibilities, performing greetings, and providing a welcoming atmosphere being one of them." His neutral expression was barely hiding the fury behind it.

"Just drop the act, Maou. There's literally no one else around. We both know it'll be easier for both of us." Emi glowered.

Maou turned his gaze to the back of the store as he sighed. "There are still other employees here, Emi. But you're not wrong. Just try not to shout too much for once." He smirked.

Emi turned up her nose. "Oh please, you bitch way harder than I do."

"Speaking of which, is that the only reason your here? Last I checked, you don't do the midnight shift." Maou's face drooped.

Working with Emi at Mgronalds had to be the most emotionally taxing experience he had ever been through in his centuries of existence. It wasn't the fact that they would argue that got to him. It was how she was suddenly being polite and kind to him, almost respectful. It was entirely unsettling, and Maou was still trying to figure out how to cope with it.

The very idea that she might be here to work honestly terrified him inside. He couldn't deal with being called Sadou-senpai right now.

Emi narrowed her eyes. "Are you crazy? I'm neither insane enough nor desperate enough to work at this unholy hour." She scoffed.

"Then... Why are you here? Is Alas=Ramus with you?" Maou's gaze shifted with worry.

Emi sighed. "No, She's still back at Villa Rosa..." She trailed off.

Maou quirked an eyebrow. "Then...?"

Emi blushed a little. "I just wanted some fast food, ok."

"That's it?" He tilted.

Emi's face went completely red. "Look, sometimes I just get in the mood, and I want to indulge myself sometimes. Is that so wrong?!" She said, utterly flustered.

Maou sighed. "I suppose it isn't. Just didn't figure the hero did midnight snack runs to Mgronalds." He smirked.

Emi placed her hands on her hips. "Well, what about you. Why are you here? You don't work this shift, either."

Honestly, Maou didn't want to tell her, but it's not like she wouldn't hear through the grapevine eventually. Better he says it instead of Urushihara.

Maou averted his gaze from Emi. "Well, I screwed up a little-"

"Tell me something I don't know." She smirked.

Maou returned his gaze with a frown. "As I was saying. I screwed up and wrecked our washing machine. We need more money for repairs." He scratched the back of his head.

"You wrecked it? How?" Her eyes were wide.

"I... may have stuffed a week's worth of laundry into it." He mumbled.

"A week's? into that tiny, crumby thing outside your front door. Are you crazy?" She said, shocked.

"I just wanted to get it over with, so shoot me!" he gesticulated.

"Doesn't Alciel usually deal with that? Why were you doing the washing?"

"I wanted to help out for a change." He cried. "Ashiya always does so much by himself. I wanted to make things easier for him... and then that backfired."

Emi sighed. "I can't believe you used to be my arch-nemesis."

Maou frowned. As a familiar thought came to mind. 'I could say the same to you.' Yet again, though, he thought better of it.

"Do you want food or not, Emi? I haven't got all day." He growled.

"Considering it's so early in the morning, I'm pretty sure you do, but nevertheless." She affixed her gaze at the menu above Maou.

"You seriously didn't consider what you wanted before you got here?"

"I can take my time if I want to, Maou. It's not like there's anyone else in line." She said without even looking at him.

Maou folded his arms and blew a raspberry in response.

\--

Emi took her sweet time with her order, almost as if to intentionally annoy him. When she finally paid for and received her meal, a thought arose in Maou's mind. Emi, while not quite cordial, was behaving suddenly very differently at this moment. Nicer, calmer. Like the conversation from before was nothing but a ruse.

As she turned to leave, Maou couldn't help but speak up. "Ok, what's your deal?"

Emi turned back around, confused. "Umm, what?"

"I'm saying what is with you lately? One moment you're my enemy. The next moment, you treat me like a colleague, and now it's like you're forcing yourself to be a jerk. What is up with you?"

Emi sighed as she cast her gaze to the floor. "I figured this would be easier for you."

Maou frowned with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's pretty obvious you're creeped out by me being nice to you, so I figured being a pain in the ass would be more normal for you."

Maou couldn't believe what was hearing. "Since when is the hero supposed to care about how the demon king feels."

Emi furrowed her brow. "I could say the same to you. Since when is the demon king supposed to care about how the hero feels."

Maou folded his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really, so what about that time you tried to get me a job here, or the time you helped me with my mother. Those just conveniently lapsed from your memory?" Emi said, also folding her arms.

"For, starters; 1, your Alas=Ramus's mother, 2, I named you as one of my generals. It's my duty as your superior to look out for you." Maou scoffed.

"Ok, 1, that's never stopped you from being a jerk before. 2, we both know you pulled that title out of your ass in the spirit of the moment. If you dare to ask me why I care, I have the right to know why you do." Emi scowled.

Maou growled. "I asked first."

Emi groaned and unfolded her arms. "Alright, fine. Though it should be fairly obvious."

Emi took a deep breath just before she spoke, and her demeanour became significantly more vulnerable.

"Have I ever told you why I become a hero?"

"To defeat me and bring peace."

Emi gave a sad smile. "Your half right... really, all I wanted was to defeat you. To get revenge."

Maou nodded. "You believed I was responsible for your father's death."

Emi nodded in turn. "But not only did it turn out that you weren't responsible. You helped me find him again. You protected him, and honestly, I can never thank you enough for that."

Maou was starting to feel uncomfortable with the new atmosphere that Emi was generating, but he held his tongue.

Emi placed a hand on her chest. "It makes me sound like such a cheap hero, but... I can't bring myself to hate you the same way anymore... whenever I try to, it always feels so forced... and wrong... I guess I just don't see the point in antagonizing you."

Maou nodded, uncertain of what to say. "I see..."

"Well... what about you? It's your turn to spill." She said, trying to assume a more confidant pose.

Emi was the last person he ever wanted to be upfront with. Frankly, he despised being upfront in general. It made him feel weak, insecure, and more vulnerable than a demon king had any right to be. But now, he was caught in a dilemma. Emi, the most stubborn person he knew, was being open with him for once. Not just letting out secrets, she didn't mean to in one of her famous tirades. But genuinely open.

He could just say to her that he made no real promise to explain himself, and therefore owed her nothing. But not only would that be a serious dick move, it felt wrong to just spit in her face after she told him that.

Allowing herself to be vulnerable to him of all people.

Maou sighed and nodded. "Well... it's kinda complicated. Things have changed a lot."

"I've got time." she gave a faint smile.

Resigning himself to his fate, Maou continued. "I guess the reason I started caring at all was... because you were my arch-nemesis."

Emi quirked a brow but stayed silent.

"When I first came here, getting my powers back and defeating you was at the top of my to-do list. It was all I wanted to get back my esteem. You were unlike anyone I had ever faced. But then I finally met you in this world... and you were so different from I thought you were... you weren't an invincible warrior; you were an unfortunate soul on a quest for revenge. When you told me I killed your father all those months ago... honestly, I just assumed we'd always be enemies no matter what."

Maou's gaze became distant as he continued.

"Then Alas=Ramus happened, and the angels... When Gabriel said that your father was alive. Of all things, I got worried about how that would affect you. That suddenly, the rug would be pulled out from under you, and I would lose my greatest challenge." He almost whispered.

Emi stared for a moment. "You want to fight me?"

Maou shook his head. "Not exactly... it's more like, I want to conquer you."

Emi face flushed beet red. "THAT'S DISGUSTING. HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME!"

"What?" He said, completely bewildered.

Emi stared in disbelief. "Do you seriously not understand what you just said?"

Maou tilted, still confused. "...noo~?"

Emi sighed. "Whatever. So... you still want me to be your enemy then?"

Maou sighed as well. "Honestly, I don't know anymore. The history we have seems so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things now. And with Alas=Ramus in the equation, I don't think that can or should be the case."

Emi nodded. "I can agree with you there." She then made a face that seemed to suggest she remembered something and pulled out her phone to look at the time. "Oh crap, I should be going. Alas=Ramus will freak if she wakes up, and I'm not there." She said as she turned for the exit.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Maou didn't want Emi to leave. A question burned his tongue as he called out.

"Emi, wait!"

Emi turned back around to face him. "What is it?"

Maou suddenly felt very awkward as he almost forgot what he was going to ask. "You said it yourself, I'm not your nemesis anymore... but if we're not enemies... then what are we?"

Emi looked upwards, her expression thoughtful. "I don't know either, Maou... we've been enemies for so long, and while you may be innocent of my father's death, there are so many other lives you've stolen in Ente Isla..."

Maou's gaze hardened. "And I would steal them again."

"Oh, drop it, Maou. I know you're not as heartless as you claim to be. I'm not sure why you did what you did, but I know you well enough to know that you must've had a reason." She placed her hands on her hips.

Maou just averted his eyes from her. Remaining silent.

"I guess... we could start over?" Emi gestured.

Maou looked at her quizzically. "Start over?"

"Yeah" She reached out her hand. "I'm Yusa Emi. Nice to meet you."

Maou looked down at her hand with uncertainty but ultimately reached for it.

"Sadou Maou, nice to meet you." He smiled.

"Huh, I didn't know anyone under the age of 50 had the name 'Sadou' anymore." She smirked.

Maou frowned. "What happened to us starting over?"

Emi grinned. "Just because we're starting new doesn't mean I can't mess with you from time to time."

Maou rolled his eyes. "Fine, just so long as you don't 'malfunction' again."

Emi flushed red once again. "Y-You didn't tell anyone about that, right?"

Maou scoffed. "Of course not. Don't you remember how Ashiya reacted when he thought we were Alas=ramus's biological parents? If he found out that we hugged, he'd have a seizure."

Emi nodded and coughed into her hand. "G-Good, good. Just making sure."

Emi turned back around to make her leave. Stopping just at the entryway as the doors slid open. She turned her head to face Maou with a cocky grin.

"Take care, Sadou-senpai~."

Maou visibly cringed. "Could you please not!"

Emi just laughed. "You're going to have to get over that someday, you know."

Maou groaned. "Goodbye, Emi."

Still grinning, she waltzed outside. Maou stared after her for a long while as she disappeared into the darkness. Feeling relieved and yet oddly disappointed all at once.

"Of all the Mgronalds she walked into, she had to walk into mine." He said to no one.

**Author's Note:**

> Just felt like it. Had this idea for a while. 
> 
> I'm not sorry about the last line.


End file.
